Glossary

noun/adjective.
A foolish person who is lacking in sense but still stubborn, rude, and impetuous.
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noun.
A threesome with two men and one woman.
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[ǎi chǒu qióng / ai3 chou3 qiong2]
adjective/expression.
Short, ugly, and poor. A popular internet meme referring to the non-ideal boyfriend or husband in contemporary Chinese society. Its opposite is “tall, handsome, and rich“.
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[A piān / A pian1]
noun.
“Adult” video/film, pornographic video.
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[Ā sān / a1 san1]
adjective/noun/expression.
An ethnic slur for Indian people.
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[bàngzi / bang4 zi]
noun.
An ethnic slur for Korean people. Literally means “club” or “stick”.
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[bǎnzhǔ / ban3 zhu3]
noun.
Moderator of an internet discussion forum.
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[bái fù měi / bai2 fu4 mei3]
adjective/noun/expression.
White, rich, and beautiful. A popular internet meme referring to the ideal girlfriend or wife in contemporary Chinese society, referring to the complexion of her skin, wealth, and overall appearance. The male counterpart is “tall, rich, and handsome“.
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[bēijù / bei1 ju4]
noun.
“Cups” or “cupware” is a pun for “tragedy”.
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[bèi zìshā / bei4 zi4 sha1]
verb/expression.
Literally “to be suicided”, referring to a death that has been ruled a suicide to cover up a murder.
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[biāotí dǎng / biao1 ti2 dang3]
noun.
Refers to misleading article headlines or post titles.
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[bǐshì / bi3 shi4]
verb.
Although this is sometimes BS like the English “bullshit,” usually it is used to mean “despise.”
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[biàntài / bian4 tai4]
adjective.
Perverted, deviant, abnormal.
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[bōli / bo1 li]
noun.
On the Chinese internet, “glass” is sometimes slang for “male homosexual” because it is a variant of “BL” which means “boys love”.
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[càiniǎo / cai4 niao3]
noun.
Newbie, n00b, beginner, novice, rookie.
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[cǎnjù / can3 ju4]
noun.
“Dining utensils” (cānjù / can1 ju4) is a pun for “tragedy, disaster, travesty, calamity” (cǎnjù / can3 ju4).
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[cào / cao4]
offensive.
Fuck. Common variants include 草 (“cao”) or 靠 (“kao”) as well as the English spelling “cao” and “kao.” 肏 is also correct for “fuck” but almost never used.
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[cǎonímǎ / cao3 ni2 ma3]
pun/noun/expression/offensive.
An alpaca, or literally “grass mud horse,” which is a pun for 操你妈 cao ni ma, “fuck your mom.” It was created by the Mop BBS in early 2009, maybe in response to government censorship.
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[càonǐmā / cao4 ni3 ma1]
offensive.
Fuck your mother/mom.
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[cào nǐ mā de bī / cao4 ni3 ma1 de bi1]
offensive.
Fuck your mother’s/mom’s cunt. The “屄” could be and usually is any Chinese character with the “bi” sound, especially 逼 or 比. In fact, 屄 is the true character but almost never used.
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noun.
CCAV (China Central Adult Video) is a funny nickname for CCTV (China Central Television).
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[cè nà / ce4 na4]
offensive.
Shanghainese, similar to 操 “cao”, but maybe a little less strong.
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[chá shuǐ biǎo/ cha2 shui3 biao3]
expression.
Literally “to check the water meter”. Often used in responses to posts or comments that may be considered subversive or “inharmonious” by the government, suggesting that the police or authorities will be coming to the original poster’s home to arrest them under the guise of “checking their water meter”.
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[chéngguǎn / cheng2 guan3]
noun.
City management or administrators tasked with enforcing municipal laws, regulations, codes, etc. They have a very poor reputation amongst Chinese people as being corrupt and violent brutes, best known for often physically bullying illegal street vendors, hawkers, and peddlers. See examples.
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[chīhuò / chi1 huo4]
noun.
A glutton, someone who eats a lot, especially if that is all they can do, eat and nothing else, a good for nothing, a foodaholic.
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[chǔnǚ / chu3 nv3]
noun.
Virgin girl. For boys, it is 处男, chǔnán / chu3 nan2.
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[dǎjīxiě / da3 ji1 xue3]
expression.
Literally to inject chicken blood, but refers to getting or being extremely excited or fervent.
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[dǎjiàngyóu / da3 jiang4 you2]
expression.
Get soy sauce. This is a popular internet meme that means “none of my business”, “does not involve me”, “just passing by”.
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[dàn dìng / dan4 ding4]
expression.
To be relaxed, calm. It is both a pun for “淡定” [dàn dìng] and the opposite of 蛋疼.
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[dàn téng / dan4 teng2]
expression.
Ball ache. Testicle ache. Usually refers to doing something extremely unreasonable or ridiculous out of boredom or having nothing better to do.
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[dǎo / dao3]
expression.
Fallen over, knocked over.
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[diāo bǎo le / diao1 bao3 le]
expression.
To be amazed, stunned, shocked, surprised, frightened.
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[diào sī / diao4 si1]
noun.
Roughly “loser” or maybe “douchebag” when used negatively but often is used humorously. This term originated on a Baidu discussion forum, and describes someone who is poor, ugly, short, good for nothing, a failure in life, and even prone to excessive masturbation. It is a popular term similar to the Japanese term “otaku” and can be used to refer to both males and females, but has over time evolved to encompass a broader meaning for anyone who identifies with being downtrodden in life and ultimately insignificant to greater society. There is a sense of it being “the ordinary people”, the masses who have little power or influence, who are struggling to get by and are bitter, even often humorously and sarcastically so.
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[dǐng / ding3]
verb.
Often used in BBS forums to express support, especially by “pushing a topic/post to the top” of the BBS forum so more people will see it. It is similar to “bump” in English BBS forums. In addition to “support”, it can also be understood as an “upvote” or “like”.
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[dǐngzhe guōgài / ding3 zhe guo1 gai4]
expression.
Literally “raise pot lid”, like a shield against criticisms. Similar to “flamesuit on” or “putting on flamesuit” in English BBS forums, against “flames”.
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[dòu fu zhā / dou4 fu zha1]
noun.
Literally “tofu dregs” or “soybean residue”, often referring to shoddy construction or shoddily constructed buildings. Like “tofu dregs”, they are soft and crumble easily.
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[fǎ kè / fa3 ke4]
expression.
A transliteration of the English word “fuck”.
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[fàláng / fa4 lang2]
noun.
Hairdresser, the kind that provides special services. Many “hairdressing” stores in China are actually prostitution houses/brothels.
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[fān qiáng / fan1 qiang2]
verb.
To circumvent the internet censorship using software such as China VPNs (virtual private networks), proxies, or similar. Literally, to “scale the wall”. For more information see our Best VPN for China Guide.
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[fēijī / fei1 ji1]
noun.
Handjob, masturbation (for males).
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[fēizhǔliú / fei1 zhu3 liu2]
noun.
A person, usually young, who is anti-mainstream/non-mainstream, emo, underground, or alternative. They are usually characterized by their fashion and attitudes about life. A common variant is “FZL.” See examples.
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[fènqīng / fen4 qing1]
noun.
Indignant/angry youth. Often refers to young Chinese who are too patriotic/nationalistic. Sometimes also refers to young Chinese who are critical of the government.
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[fènqīng / fen4 qing1]
noun.
“Shitty youth”, a pun of 愤青.
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[fěnsī / fen3 si1]
noun.
Although it means “vermicelli,” it also means “fans” because it sounds similar. Also seen as only 粉 “fen” or 饭 “fan” (which is actually “rice” or “meal”).
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[fù wēng / fu4 weng1]
noun.
A pun on 富翁 fù wēng, “rich man”, that means a poor man who is in debt, the opposite of a rich man.
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[fù èrdài / fu4 er4 dai4]
noun.
“Rich second generation” or “second generation rich/wealthy”, the children of wealthy parents.
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[fúyún / fu2 yun2]
noun./expression
An expression made popular in 2010 by “Xiao Yue Yue” writer “Rong Rong”. It suggests that something is like “passing clouds”, a little like something is ephemeral or unimportant/insignificant.
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[gěilì / gei3 li4]
expression.
To give force or power to something, to make something interesting or impressive, awesome, amazing, powerful.
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[gāocháo / gao1 chao2]
noun.
Orgasm, climax, come.
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[gāo dà shàng / gao1 da4 shang4]
adjective/noun/expression.
Short for 高端大气上档次, meaning “high-end, impressive, and high-class”. A popular internet meme used to describe objects, people, behavior, or ideas that became popular in late 2013.
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[gāo fù shuài / gao1 fu4 shuai4]
adjective/noun/expression.
Tall, rich, and handsome. A popular internet meme referring to the ideal boyfriend or husband in contemporary Chinese society. Its opposite is “short, ugly, and poor“. The female counterpart is “white, rich, and beautiful“.
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[gǎo jī / gao3 ji1]
verb/expression.
To be, to make, to go for being gay. To have gay relations/sex.
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[gāo shǒu zài mín jiān / gao1 shou3 zai4 min2 jian1]
expression.
Traditionally, “the master stays unrevealed among the common people”, suggesting that the true masters of a talent or skill (often martial arts) ａｒｅ often hidden amongst the ordinary masses, not drawing attention to themselves or otherwise broadcasting their impressive abilities. Nowadays, it is an expression often used in a similar way, when someone unknown (like a peasant farmer or a faceless netizen) does or says something unexpectedly impressive.
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[gòngchǎndǎng / gong4 chan3 dang3]
noun.
Acronym for Chinese pinyin of “Communist Party”.
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[gēge / ge1 ge]
noun.
Older brother, male friend, guys. Often written as “GG.” Do not confuse with “GG” used in online gaming that means “good game.”
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[gè zhǒng líng luàn / ge4 zhong3 ling2 luan4]
expression.
Literally “all kinds of chaos”, but often used to express being dumbfounded, astounded, stupefied, overwhelmed, not knowing what to do, how to react, or what to say in response to something.
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expression.
“Got it”, “understood”, “learned”, “success”, “profit”.
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[gǒurìde / gou3 ri4 de]
noun.
Someone who was dog-fucked or a child of a dog, similar to “bastard.”
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[gǔngǔn / gun3 gun3]
noun.
A cute nickname for “pandas,” because of how young pandas “roll around” when they are playing.
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[guózhū / guo2 zhu1]
noun.
A derogatory pun on 国足 [guózú / guo2 zu2], the Chinese national football/soccer association or team, whose poor performance/behavior often frustrates and embarrasses Chinese football fans.
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[hǎiguī / hai3 gui1]
noun.
A nickname for Chinese people who have studied abroad and have returned to China.
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[hàn / han4]
expression.
“Sweat.” Used to express being embarrassed or dumbfounded, like in Japanese anime.
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expression.
An expression referring to being born in China as being similar to choosing a higher difficulty in a video game, whereas “easy mode” would be similar to being born in the United States where life is considered “easier” or “more pleasant”.
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[hēi mù ěr / hei1 mu4 er3]
noun.
Literally “black fungus“, but is Chinese slang for a woman’s vagina due to physical resemblance.
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[héxiè / he2 xie4]
pun/adjective.
“River crab” is a pun for 和谐 [héxié]， “harmonious。” It is used to avoid possible censorship and to mock the Chinese government’s efforts to promote a “harmonious society.”
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[hěn huáng hěn bàolì / hen3 huang2 hen3 bao4 li4]
expression.
Very yellow (pornographic), very violent. This phrase became popular after a young Chinese girl said it while being interviewed about her impression of the during a CCTV report about government regulation of the internet.
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[hěn shǎ hěn tiānzhēn / hen3 sha3 hen3 tian1 zhen1]
expression.
Very foolish, very naive. This phrase became popular after Hong Kong star Gillian Chung said it during a news conference (to explain and apologize for the pornographic photos of her with Edison Chen that were made public) because it was similar to 很黄,很暴力 [hěn huáng hěn bàolì / hen3 huang2 hen3 bao4 li4].
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[hold zhù / hold zhu4]
verb/expression.
A catch phrase that became popular after a comedy skit on Taiwan variety show 《大学生了没》 featuring a netizen named “Miss Lin” pretending to be a stylist spread on the internet. It means to hold steady, maintain composure, stay strong, stay calm, keep cool, or even to capture, command, take control of a situation or scene.
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[hóuzi / hou2 zi]
noun.
“Monkey” is a nickname for discussion forum moderators.
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[huǒxīngrén / huo3 xing1 ren2]
noun.
Someone from Mars, meaning someone who is out of touch with reality or with current news, events, fashion, trends, culture, etc. 你是火星回来的吗 = did you just come back from Mars?
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[huá lì lì / hua2 li4 li4]
adjective.
A comedic variation or deviation of 华丽 [huá lì], high-profile, glamorous or flamboyant.
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[yìng / ying4]
adjective.
Hard. Mostly used by Shanghainese netizens as a substitute for erection.
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[jiào chuáng / jiao4 chuang2]
expression.
To moan, yell, scream, or make noises during sex or as if one were having sex.
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[jiào shòu / jiao4 shou4]
noun.
A pun on the “教授”, jiao4 shou4, “professor”, to refer to educators of questionable moral character who may do more harm than good to their students or bad/evil teachers and professors in general. May also appear as “叫兽”.
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[jībā / ji1 ba1]
noun/adjective.
Penis, dick, cock. When used as an adjective, it may mean “cocky”, “arrogant”, or a more generalized “fuck” or “damn”.
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[jījī / ji1 ji1]
noun.
Penis, dick, cock.
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[jiāyóu / jia1 you2]
expression.
An expression of encouragement or support similar to “good luck”, “go for it”, “try your best”, “wish you well”, etc. depending on context.
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[jǐngchá / jing3 cha2]
noun.
The police. Similar in usage as ZF = 政府 [zhèngfǔ / zheng4 fu3].
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[jiǒng / jiong3]
emoticon.
A popular Chinese character/pictogram often used on the Chinese-language internet to express being shocked, amused, or stupefied. Possibly originated from Taiwan, and similar to “Orz” which looks like a person kneeling/bowing.
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[jī qíng / ji1 you2]
noun.
Gay love, referring to the relationship between gay men or jokingly between straight men.
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[jīyǒu / ji1 you3]
noun.
Homosexuals, homosexual partners. Often used jokingly between good male friends.
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[jípǐn / ji2 pin3]
noun/adjective.
Something that is high quality, but used online by netizens sarcastically to refer to the extreme opposite, a very annoying or obnoxious person, something that is extremely lousy.
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[júhuā / ju2 hua1]
noun.
Literally “chrysanthemum” (the flower), but slang for “asshole” or “anus”.
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1. 精液 [jīngyè / jing1 ye4]
noun.
Semen, sperm, ejaculate.
2. 精英 [jīngyīng / jing1 ying1]
noun.
An “elite”, right-winger, opposite of “fenqing”, always critical of China and Chinese, always worships “democracy”, etc.
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1. 恐怖 [kǒngbù / kong3 bu4]
adjective/expression.
Frightening, scary, terrible.
2. 口爆 [kǒubào / kou3 bao4]
noun.
Ejaculating in partner’s mouth during oral sex.
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[kēng diē / keng1 die1]
noun/expression.
Someone who has questionable intentions, to deceive or cheat others, or an expression meaning something sucks, is unfair, or one is screwed or in an ironic and undesirable circumstance.
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[kǒujiāo / kou3 jiao1]
noun.
Oral sex.
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[lánzhōu / lan2 zhou1]
noun.
A variant of 楼主 [lóuzhǔ], commonly used together with 烧饼 [shāobǐng] to form “兰州烧饼”, which means “the original poster is a stupid cunt”.
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[lǎowài / lao3 wai4]
noun.
Foreigner.
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[lǐng dǎo / ling3 dao3]
noun.
The leadership, the government, government officials.
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[léi / lei2]
verb/adjective.
Literally thunder/lightning, used to express shock or being shocked or dumbfounded. For example, “雷倒” [lei2 dao1] means literally to be shocked until fallen over, which is to be completely dumbfounded or rendered speechless or stupefied.
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[lèi / lei4]
expression.
Literally tear or teardrop, used to express sadness, crying.
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[líbɑ / li2 ba]
noun.
Liba BBS discussion forum, famous for having a lot of “materialistic” girls. See examples.
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[Lǐ Gāng / Li3 Gang1]
noun.
A government official (deputy chief of the Baoding City Public Security Bureau) and father of Li Qiming, who in 2010 October hit two girls and killed one of them while driving drunk in Hebei University campus. He proceeded to drive away to drop off his girlfriend but was stopped by witnesses on his way back before leaving campus. When confronted, he challenged witnesses to sue him by saying “我爸是李刚” (“My Dad is Li Gang!”). Li Gang has now become synonymous with being above the law due to government connections.
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[lín shí gōng / lin2 shi2 gong1]
noun.
Temporary worker(s). A common joke in China is that companies and governments often blame their mistakes on nameless “temporary workers” to escape responsibility or embarrassment.
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[lúnjiān / lun2 jian1]
verb.
Gang rape.
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[lū / lu1]
verb.
To rub one’s hand along something, commonly used as slang for male masturbation or literally, stroking one’s penis.
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[lóuzhǔ / lou2 zhu3]
noun.
The person who made the first/original post or started a BBS topic. Often written as “LZ.”
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[mābī / ma1 bi1]
noun.
Probably a shorter version of MLGB that also means “mother’s cunt.” Maybe similar to English’s “motherfucker.” The “B” could be any Chinese character with the “bi” sound like 逼 or 比. In fact, 屄 is the true character but almost never used.
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[mài méng / mai4 meng2]
verb.
To act cute or play cute.
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[mǐ guó rén / mi3 guo2 ren2]
noun.
Americans, a play on 美国人 mei guo ren.
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expression.
“Make Love,” to have sex.
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expression.
Mother’s cunt. Similar to “motherfucker” in usage. The “B” could be any Chinese character with the “bi” sound like 逼 or 比. In fact, 屄 is the true character but almost never used.
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[měi fēn / mei3 fen1]
noun.
Literally “US penny”. The American counterpart to the wumaodang (50 Cent Party), referring to Chinese netizens who “worship” the United States, “side” with the United States, and are overly critical of China.
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[me me dā / me me da1]
expression/onomatopoeia.
The sound of a kiss. “Smooches”.
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[mèimèi / mei4 mei4]
noun.
Little sister, young girl, pretty girl, or a girl’s private part. Often written as “MM,” which usually refers to a young girl or pretty girls. It can also refer to a girl’s vagina, her “little sister.”
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[nǎocán / nao3 can2]
noun.
Mental retardation, mental disability, mental disorder, or a person who is mentally retarded, brain dead, or utterly stupid.
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[nèi niú mǎn miàn / nei4 niu2 man3 mian4]
expression.
Means 泪流满面 [lèi liú mǎn miàn / lei4 liu2 man3 mian4], which is “tears flowing all over face”.
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[nǐ niáng de / ni3 niang2 de]
offensive.
Also, 奶奶的 [nǎinai de / nai3 nai de]. Variant of TMD. Damn, damn it, dammit, fuck, fucking.
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[nì tiān / ni4 tian1]
adjective.
Literally “against heaven”, meaning something that is extremely against nature or unnatural.
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[niú / niu2]
adjective.
If not used to mean “cow,” it is is used to describe someone or something as being very 牛屄 = niúbī / niu2 bi1.
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[niúbī / niu2 bi1]
noun/adjective.
When used negatively, it means a very self-important, egotistical, arrogant, cocky person. When used positively, it means a very confident, daring, impressive, amazing, awesome person. “Badass” or “hardcore” may be suitable English equivalents. Often shortened to “NB” or 牛 + any Chinese character with the “bi” sound like 逼 or 比. In fact, 屄 is the true character but almost never used.
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[bùzuò bùsǐ / bu4 zuo4 bu4 si3]
expression.
Full expression 不作死就不会死. Suggests that one won’t find trouble if one doesn’t look for it, often used to discourage someone from doing something they shouldn’t do.
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[nǚ hàn zi / nv3 han4 zi]
noun.
Manly woman. According to Baidu Baike and Hudong Baike, this Chinese internet meme refers to “women who look feminine on the outside but are ‘pure men’ on the inside.” These women are characterized by not being particular about manners or bearing; they are cheerful, candid, optimistic, “capable of bearing responsibility”, and have a “strong heart”. Their “aura” is relatively stronger and thereby are more likely to influence others. They are less “girly” and more like “tomboys” and thus more “manly”.
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[ǒu / ou3]
pronoun.
This is commonly used online as a substitute for 我 [wǒ, wo3], often by girls, because it sounds “cuter.” It means “I.”
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noun.
Office Lady.
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[pào yǒu / pao4 you3]
noun.
Friends with benefits.
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[pēn zi / pen1 zi]
noun.
Literally, a “sprayer”. Figuratively refers to “flamers” and “complainers” or even “bashers”, “critics”, and “haters”. In general, it refers to people (netizens/commenters) who are seen as being excessively or unreasonably critical.
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[pìgu / pi4 gu]
noun.
Butt, ass, buttocks, rear.
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verb/noun.
Original meaning is “player-killing” or “player killer” but it is often used in Chinese internet to mean “competition” or “contest” or “defeating” something.
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[pì mín / pi4 min2]
noun.
Rabble, the lowly people, often used by Chinese netizens to suggest how the government or rich and powerful people view the rest of the country’s people as unimportant.
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verb/noun.
A Photoshopped picture or to Photoshop a picture. See examples.
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noun.
Original poster.
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[pǔtōng, wényì, èrbī / pu3 tong1, wen2 yi4, er4 bi1]
verb/noun.
Short for “普通青年, 文艺青年, 二逼青年” which translates to “ordinary youth, artistic youth, idiotic youth”, an internet meme that began in the second half of 2011 involving three-panel images initially showing three youths doing something in an ordinary common fashion, in a more artistic/sophisticated/fashionable fashion, and then in a ridiculous/silly fashion. Now, the internet meme applies to all three-panel images that show a subject in the same progression.
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[qiángjiān / qiang2 jian1]
verb.
Rape.
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[qīn / qin1]
noun.
Dear, an affectionate form of address that was popularized by merchants on the popular Chinese ecommerce marketplace Taobao, now widely used by netizens for amusement.
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[qǐng hē chá / qing1 he1 cha2]
expression.
Literally “to invite to tea”. This expression refers to police or other state security authorities arresting and interrogating someone under the pretense of first inviting them out to have tea (or sometimes coffee) that was inspired by real life examples.
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[qǔ guān / qu3 guan1]
expression.
Unfollow, unsubscribe.
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[rénròusōusuǒ / ren2 rou4 sou1 suo3]
noun./verb.
“Human flesh search” or “human flesh search engine” (人肉搜索引擎) is the Chinese name for when people work together on the internet to find information for a common goal. To “ren rou” (人肉) is a verb. See examples.
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[rì / ri4]
verb./offensive
Fuck.
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[rú tí / ru2 ti2]
verb.
Refer to title/subject.
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[ruò bào / ruo4 bao4]
adjective.
Being too weak, pathetic, lousy. A little like “being so weak one has exploded with weakness”.
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[shǎbī / sha3 bi1]
noun/adjective.
Stupid cunt, or describes something as being very stupid. Often shortened to “SB”, “sha bi”, 傻B, 2B (2 = S), or 傻 + any Chinese character with the “bi” sound like 逼 or 比. In fact, 屄 is the true character but almost never used.
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noun.
A “sauna”, usually refers to places where patrons can relax, bathe, get massages, and frequently sexual services.
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[shāfā / sha1 fa1]
noun/adjective.
“Sofa.” LZ is the topic starter or original poster and thus the “owner of the house.” The first person entering the “house” and replying gets the “sofa.” So “sofa” means the first replier/reply. Sometimes written in English as “sofa.”
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[shāng bù qǐ / shang1 bu4 qi3]
expression.
Can’t handle, hurt, or deal with something.
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[shānzhài / shan1 zhai4]
noun/adjective/verb.
Real meaning is “mountain village” but it is now popularly used to mean fake, cheap, copied goods. Used as a verb, it is “to copy” or “to make a poor copy of”. See examples.
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[shāobǐng / shao1 bing3]
noun.
A variant of 傻屄 [shǎbī], commonly used together with 兰州 [lánzhōu] to form “兰州烧饼”, which means “the original poster is a stupid cunt”.
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[shén mǎ / shen2 ma3]
pronoun.
A variant of 什么 [shénme] “what” made popular in 2010 by “Xiao Yue Yue” writer “Rong Rong”.
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[shén huí fù / shen2 hui2 fu3]
noun.
A legendary or godly response, reply, or comment.
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[shèng mǔ / sheng4 mu3]
noun.
Literally “holy mother” traditionally referring to the Virgin Mary. On the Chinese internet, it refers to “saints”, to people characterized as “bleeding hearts”, who may com across as being self-righteous and holier-than-thou, typically for admonishing or criticizing others for non-politically-correct, inappropriate, or insensitive comments, remarks, or jokes. It is a pejorative aimed at people considered “too serious”, “party poopers”, and ruining the “fun” one is having.
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[shǒu jiàn / shou3 jian4]
expression.
Online, usually refers to someone tempting fate by clicking on a link to view something they then regret viewing.
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[shǒuyín / shou3 yin2]
verb.
Masturbating.
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[shuāngfēi / shuang1 fei1]
noun.
Threesome with two women and one man.
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[shuǐ jūn / shui3 jun1]
noun.
Literally “water army”, referring to individuals, groups, or even companies that can be paid to post comments on the internet to help shape public opinion on any subject, often hired by companies to promote themselves or slander competitors.
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[suí shí shòu bù liǎo / sui2 shi2 shou4 bu4 liao3]
expression.
A catchphrase made popular by a Chinese “North Korean” parody account @作家崔成浩 “Pyongyang Cui Chenghao” on Sina Weibo. Simply means one could “lose it at any time” or “at any time no longer be able to bear it”.
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[tái bā zǐ / tai2 ba1 zi3]
noun.
An ethnic slur for Taiwanese people.
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[Tǎngle yě zhōng qiāng / tai2 ba1 zi3]
expression.
Literally “being shot even when lying down”, meaning one is dragged into something even when not involved, such as being criticized or attacked or otherwise negatively affected for no reason but for just being present.
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[tiāncháo / tian1 chao2]
noun.
Heavenly Kingdom or Celestial Kingdom, a common nickname for China or China’s government.
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[tū / tu1]
emoticon
Often used online to represent giving someone the middle finger.
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[tù cáo / tu4 cao2]
verb.
Transliterated from the Japanese word ツッコミ (tsukkomi), this term means “to question or comment creatively on something ironic/funny” and is often oversimplified to mean “complain, grumble”.
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[tǔfěi / tu3 fei3]
noun.
Bandits. Nickname for male members of the mostly-Shanghainese KDS BBS discussion forum.
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[tǔ háo / tu3 hao2]
noun/adjective.
Literally “local tyrant”, historically referring to locally powerful people, often landowners. Popularized as a Chinese internet meme in 2013 when used to describe the newly-released gold-colored Apple iPhone 5S as “土豪金” (“local tyrant gold” or “golden local tyrant”), referring to its likely appeal to wealthy people looking to stand out from the crowd (as well as Chinese people’s general affinity with “gold”). Generally refers to the ostentatious wealthy, typically nouveau riche types, with connotations that they lack class and refined tastes but are showy, crass, even arrogant and domineering.
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[tūnjīng / tun1 jing1]
verb.
Swallowing semen/ejaculate.
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[tāmāde / ta1 ma1 de]
offensive.
Damn, damn it, dammit, fuck, fucking. Sometimes 他 [tā / ta1], his/her, is replaced with 你 [nǐ / ni3], your, or not used at all, 妈的 or MD. Sometimes appears as 特么的 [tè mē de / te4 me1 de].
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[tàotao / tao4 tao]
noun.
Condom.
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[wàidìrén / wai4 di4 ren2]
noun.
An outsider, non-local, someone from another part of the country. Popular versions on the Shanghainese KDS BBS discussion forum include 西部数据人/西数人, Western Digital person, or YP/硬盘人 [yìngpán rén / ying4 pan2 ren2], hard disk person. See posts about waidiren.
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[wēibó / wei1 bo2]
noun.
Short for 微型博客 [wēixíng bókè / wei1 xing2 bo2 ke4], “microblog”. Usually refers to the microblogging services by Sina or Tencent QQ. A microblog is a service similar to Twitter, where updates are limited to a certain number of characters.
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[wěixiè / wei3 xie4]
adjective/verb.
Obscene or to act indecently towards someone.
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[wǒ bà shì Lǐ Gāng / wo3 ba4 shi4 Li3 Gang1]
expression.
“My dad is Li Gang” refers to the 2010 October incident where a drunk young man named Li Qiming was driving his girlfriend back to her university. While driving through Hebei University campus, he hit two young girls who were rollerskating. One of them later died. He continued on to drop off his girlfriend and was only stopped by witnesses later as he tried leaving the campus. When confronted, he challenged witnesses to sue him by saying “我爸是李刚” (“My Dad is Li Gang!”). This phrase is now often used by Chinese netizens to joke that they are impervious or above the law because they have government connections (i.e. relatives who are government officials).
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[wǒ hé xiǎo huǒ bàn men dōu jīng dāi le / wo3 he2 xiao3 huo3 ban4 men dou1 jing1 dai1 le]
expression.
“My little buddies and I were all stupefied.” This expression went viral in 2013 after being used by an elementary school student in an essay to describe his/her and his/her little buddies’ reactions to a “rumored” origin of Duanwu aka Dragon Boat Festival featuring Qu Yuan, the Communist Party of China, and the Kuomingtang aka the Chinese Nationalist Party. The expression simply means one is stunned or rendered speechless by something surprising or unexpected.
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[wōjū / wo1 ju1]
noun/verb.
Literally “snail home”, means a shabby and often small residence that is far from ideal but what one can afford. As a verb, it means to live in such a living space.
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[wǒ lēi gè qù / wo3 lei1 ge4 qu4]
expression.
Can be said to be a comical or ridiculing insult/criticism, a kind of helpless or resigned “我靠“.
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[wǔ máo dǎng / wu3 mao2 dang3]
noun.
People who are allegedly and secretly paid five mao (50 cents RMB) per post/comment that praises, supports, or defends from criticism/attack the country, government, or Communist Party. Netizens who are very nationalistic are often accused of being part of the “50 cent party” spreading propaganda or “guiding” public opinion.
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[xiànmù jídù hèn / xian4 mu4 ji2 du4 hen4]
expression.
Jealous, envious, and hateful. An expression that became an internet meme in 2010 when written by Chinese producer Zhang Weiping in response to movie critics.
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[xiǎogōng / xiao3 gong1]
noun.
The “top” in a gay relationship, or the partner in a gay relationship that is the more masculine role, who “gives” or who “penetrates”. See also: 小受.
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[xiǎojiě / xiao3 jie3]
noun.
When not referring to a young woman as a “miss”, it refers to girls who provide company or sexual services in exchange for money.
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[xiǎosān / xiao3 san1]
noun.
The third party in a marriage, usually referring to a husband’s mistress. This name may have originally started on Liba.
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[xiǎoshòu / xiao3 shou4]
noun.
The “bottom” in a gay relationship, or the partner in a gay relationship that is the more feminine role, who “receives”, or who is “penetrated”. See also: 小攻.
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[xióng hái zi / xiong2 hai2 zi]
noun.
“Little brat” or “naughty child”, refers to young children who are mischievious or unruly and whose behavior may be dumbfounding, frustrating, or even cute.
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[xué bà / xue2 ba4]
noun.
“Academic tyrant”, a nickname for the top students, academic overachievers.
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[xué zhā / xue2 zha1]
noun.
“Academic dreg”, a nickname for the worst students, academic underachievers.
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[yālí / ya1 li2]
noun.
Often used on the internet as a pun for 压力 [yālì / ya1 li4], which means stress, pressure, burden.
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[yā lì shān dà / ya1 li4 shan1 da4]
expression.
Literally, “mountains of stress”. An expression for being extremely stressed or under a lot of pressure.
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[yāng shǐ / yang1 shi3]
noun.
A pun on the Chinese abbreviation for CCTV, “央视” [yang1 shi4], which translates “China Central TV” literally to something like “China Central Shit”.
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[yín dàng / yin2 dang4]
adjective.
Lewd, obscene, dirty, perverted.
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[yě zhàn / ye3 zhan4]
noun.
Literally “field operations” but is slang for exhibitionism (having sex in public places where one risks being seen or caught).
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[yǒu mù yǒu / you3 mu4 you3]
expression.
An intentional “misspelling” that became popular in 2011.
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[yǒu qián, rèn xìng / you3 qian2, ren4 xing4]
expression.
Has money, is headstrong/obstinate/willful. Rich, will do as one pleases. This internet meme became popular in the latter half of 2014 following a news story involving an elderly Chinese man knowingly allowing himself to be scammed of over half a million RMB by a scammer, partly just to see how much the scammer would try to take from him and partly because he was concerned that authorities would not pursue the case if the amount scammed was not high enough.
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[yuán lèi / yuan2 lei4]
noun.
Literally “ape kind” (like mankind), but a pun referring to civil servants and government officials.
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[yūn / yun1]
expression.
Faint, feel dizzy, usually because of surprise, shock, amusement, or disgust.
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[yì yín / yi4 yin2]
verb.
Fantasizing, thinking strangely, pervertedly.
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[yuán fāng / yuan2 fang1]
expression.
A character in a Chinese television series “神探狄仁杰”. A Chinese internet meme has netizens adding expressions such as “Yuanfang, what do you think?” mimicking the question that is repeatedly asked of the character Yuanfang by another character on the show. Yuanfang’s response is likewise always the same, suggesting that something is amiss, suspicious, and that there must be some big secret involved behind the scenes.
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[zhái / zhai2]
adjective.
Refers to the preference or habit of staying indoors at home instead of going out or socializing with others. Commonly seen as 宅男 zhai nan or 宅女 zhai nv referring to men or women who tend to be homebodies, nerds, lacking social skills or social activities, similar to the Japanese term otaku.
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[zhuāng bī / zhuang1 bi1]
verb.
To pretend, show off, be a poser, or to act self-righteous, self-important, egotistical. To be a “pretentious cunt”. A popular version on the Shanghainese KDS BBS discussion forum is “IB” or “install B” because “zhuang” means “install” as well as “pretend.” The “B” could be any Chinese character with the “bi” sound like 逼 or 比. It can also be 13 which looks like a capital “B”. In fact, 屄 is the true character but almost never used.
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[zhèngfǔ / zheng4 fu3]
noun.
A common replacement/variant for “government” used by netizens hoping to avoid internet filters, censors, and attention by the government.
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[zhōngguó / zhong1 guo2]
noune.
China.
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[zhuānjiā / zhuan1 jia1]
noun.
A pun on 专家, expert, created by Chinese netizens to refer to false experts often used on television or in the news to advance certain agendas rather than the truth, or to accuse an expert of being a false expert for expressing a disagreeable position or opinion.
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[zhuāntóu / zhuan1 tou2]
noun.
Brick, but in internet slang may mean a “criticism”.
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[zìwèi / zi4 wei4]
verb.
To masturbate.
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[zuì le / zui4 le]
expression.
When used positively, it communicates being stunned, in awe, in admiration of something, or being wowed. When used negatively, it communicates being dumbfounded, dismayed, disdainful of something, as if rolling one’s eyes.
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